A Very Lucky Girl

I was doing laundry the other day and effectively procrastinating reading Chapter Six for Social Problems when I happened to notice the top 10 most played songs on my iTunes. I commenced furious blushing. WHY must Apple record every single play of my songs? Some of them I am proud of, letsbehonest. But Grove St. Party? Really? And TWO explicitly labeled hits? So THAT'S where the need for a swear jar comes in... Gavin DeGraw's "Not Over You." I wish I could say I played this 1,740 times because I really liked the musical quality. But no. I was a sucker for the lyrics last January when all boys were stupid. Taylor Swift's "Ours." "Don't you worry your pretty little mind, people throw rocks at things that shine" are words for any and every occasion so I am only mildly ashamed of the 1,734 plays. It's a bit excessive. Waka Flocka's "Grove St. Party." There are no words. Cady Groves' "Ugly." It could be argu...

The long wait is finally over and Taylor Swift has released her newest, fourth album, "Red." As opposed to, you know, yellow, green, or blue. Because obviously, "loving him was red." And so begins the frantic search to discover what each of her emotion-packed lyrical songs REALLY mean. We all know that Swift writes with a motive, outing past relationships in her chart-topping hits. Already, fans online are alive with speculation, grasping at small hints in each song to reveal its inspiration. So I followed suit, grabbed a pen and paper, and painstakingly picked out the capitalized letters in Swift's digital booklet that accompanies her album. Until I realized Google would make this process way easier: State of Grace: I love you doesn't count after goodbye Red: SAG Treacherous: Won't stop till it's over I Knew You Were Trouble: When you saw me dancing All Too Well: Maple Lattes 22: Ashley, Dianna, Claire, Selena I Almost Do: Wrote this instea...

One particular detail of the human memory fascinates me. The ability to commit hundreds of songs to memory, so much so that one can recall all 3 verses, the chorus, and the bridge of a track after hearing only a few musical notes. Tyler was mesmerized in awe (or maybe something akin to car wreck curiosity in standstill traffic?) as I nailed most of the words to Wiz Khalifa's "No Sleep" during a drive to OKC. It's unfortunate that my knowledge of every Taylor Swift song will not be able to help me with my next HES test. The endocrine system just doesn't have a catchy tune to commit various hormones to memory. Where's Miley Cyrus when you need her? Oh yeah, trying on wigs to cover up that monstrosity of a haircut. I'm going to have to get back to y'all; "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line just appeared on iTunes shuffle and all of A Very Lucky Girl's focus is on belting out every single word since roommate is go---BABY YOU A SONG YOU...

Carly Rae Jepsen is my current musical obsession. It all started with "Call Me Maybe", which I covered  here . And by covered, I mean wrote about. My talents don't include excellent singing. Miss Jepsen is a genius for releasing only a single for a few months, making fans clamor for more and guaranteeing at least a success in that one song. "Call Me Maybe" launched Jepsen into stardom, and to a relatively high spot on my iTunes play count. 44 isn't too shabby. "Ours", by Taylor Swift, is hovering at second place on the list with 1,731 repetitions, but that's beside the point. When Carly Rae and Owl City collaborated, a "Good Time" was had by all (the duet eclipses "Call Me Maybe" with 259 plays). "Hands up if you're down to get down tonight" said the whitest people in pop music. But somehow it worked for them. Jepsen released her full album, "Kiss", 2 weeks ago and I have yet to take it off repeat...

So, as most of you know, I've been nannying for an 8 and 10 year old all summer. I ferry them all across town, from Frontier City to White Water Bay to Walmart for crafting supplies. So we spend some time in the car. And I am not one to drive in silence. I didn't want to expose them to 102.7 or 104.9 (the pop stations) or even 93.3 (the resident country station) so I've kept the radio tuned to 88.9 (KLOVE). I don't regret that decision for a single second. Not only does it keep them from learning songs like Usher's Scream , a song that I caught the neighbor boy singing in the house a few weeks ago that idolizes casual sex (in a really catchy upbeat way), but I could only hope that KLOVE has made an impression. And then something awesome happened a few weeks ago. We were driving home from a Walmart excursion and "Our God's Alive" by Andy Cherry was playing (one of my all-time favorites). I thought I heard someone talking in the backseat and held my br...

Eric Church points out that it's "funny how a melody sounds like a memory." I couldn't agree more. There are certain songs that just take you back in time. Whether it's kicking and screaming, or willingly. For instance, Sadie Hawkins Dance by Relient k? I'm back in middle school with Sarah, screaming "do you like my sweeeatttterrrrrrr?" at the top of our lungs. Everytime We Touch by Cascada? Transported to carpools to Crabtree Mall with Marianne, Penel, and Astrid. Our Song by Taylor Swift summons images of Moriah and I interpretative dancing at our sweet 16 birthday party. I'm sure there are songs that touch you like that too. Probably in a more meaningful way than the ones I just described. Even just a few music notes can remind me that I'm A Very Lucky Girl.